my 2 yr old 29G Biocube disaster ...

[Marcellina]

So Monday I was in the middle of cleaning up my flooded basement caused by my two year old flushing his toys down the toilet when I notice that my beautiful established fish tank that is flourishing and requires little to no maintenance has greenish looking cloudy water. I get closer and there is a strong garlic smell and it looks like its snowing in the tank and all my fish are gasping like crazy. Thats when I see an empty can of a brand new freeze dried mysis and another of formula one and flake food. My 2 year old strikes again.

I rushed and set up my 10 gallon in the bathtub asap. I had to take out all my rockwork with it literally covered with food to get my fish out. By the time the rock was out the water was so murky there was 0 visibility. I lost my royal gramma a chromis and 2 firefish. I was somehow able to save my two clownfish that I thought were goners barely moving after a half hours search and my red brittlestar. I had to do so many water changes to get all the food out. Now the tank is cycling, back to square one. So basically I lost 90% of my corals, I cant believe it. I dont have anyplace to put them bc they are all attached to the big rocks. I have a duncan that is sort of ok and two frogspawns that are still surviving. Actually one isnt so good its retracted into its skeleton. I put that rock in with the fish but Im scared its going to cycle the 10G tank. I think that frogspawn is a goner anyway.

Im just so devastated I dont know what else to do.

My tank before the disaster:
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/tank-threads/71679-my-29g-biocube-started-8-2009-a.html

 

[charliethetuna88]

Hey sorry to hear about ur. delema.I can hold some stuff for u if u need .so u can get threw ur cycle again

 

[tentacles]

Last summer, I went away for the weekend, and my friend who was watching my tank (24g nano cube) spilled a container of food in it, and figured the fish would eat it- I feel your pain . The only thing I had survive were a few zoas. When you're ready I'd be happy to give you some corals to get you going again.

 

[Marcellina]

Charlie that would be great! I would like to try and save the Duncan(its turning a strange color) and the rainbow frogspawn I got them with just a few heads and have taken such care of them the frogspawn is like 13 heads now and the duncan I cant even count. The purple tip frogspawn looks very sad, its mainly skeleton. Let me know if you can take them in while my tank cycles, send me a pm of your address. Thanks so much.

Tentacles, OMG isnt it just devastating?! My rocks were completely covered in gorgeous colored zoas and daisy polyps, ricordias, black suncorals, yellow suncorals and I had some rainbow acans... ugh I dont even want to remember anymore. Thanks so much for the offer, I appreciate it so much. I cant believe I have to start over. Actually its not even the fact of starting over but its more the heartbreak of seeing everything I made grow and flourish just melt away.

Im glad my clownfish survived, they were the whole reason I started the tank for my 4 year old he would have cried so much if Nemo and his 'dad' died. He was staring at the black cloudy tank searching for Nemo and then he saw a little bit of orange and said its Nemo I see his little fin! LOL

 

[Reef Reaper]

Sorry for your losses! If there is anything I can do, please let me know. My 55g had a heater problem and I loss about 50% of everything. I redid the whole tank and I like it better now. Things sometimes happens for a reason. Good Luck. Keep us posted!

 

[IamRobG]

I had a similar problem in my 125. My buddy was watching my tank and left a dead anemone and 2 dead fish (ich) in the tank for 3 days. I got home my nitrate test kit was dark red bordering black. I lost all but 2 fish and a few coral. After numerous water changes and a few months of rebuilding everythings healthy again. Sorry for your loss.

 

[JBL]

My friends 7 year old dumped a whole can of flake food, and a dozen eggs in his 55 gal tank while he was at work once. Yes a dozen eggs! Believe it or not, he only lost one fish, and a lot of color on his hippo. He caught it in time.
He son said the fish looked hungry and eggs are yummy....

 

[xxxAngeloxxx]

wow that a nice 29g tank...sorry to hear that...what u plan to do now start over again or what?

 

[triggerhappy]

So sorry to hear that Pm me when your tank is ready i may have a frag or two of some acans.

 

[Marcellina]

Thanks for the encouraging words guys. Im sorry that some of you all went through it as well. It really makes you just want to quit. I was almost to that point, if I hadnt saved the 2 clowns I really would have quit.

Surprisingly the tank is already cycled and I put the fish back in. They look confused swimming all around looking for their frogspawns. Everything died, all my huge assortment of brightly colored zoa colonies, acans, torches, suncorals, xenia, even my GSP, oh an my red montipora that was getting so gorgeous. UGH! Ok I dont even want to remember. RIght now all I get to look at are rocks and the new snails and hermits cleaning up.

 

[Reef Reaper]

I'm glad you and your tank are back on the road to recovery!! It would have been a great loss, if you back did not try again! Good Luck.